The art of papier-mache

Like many art forms associated with Europe today, papier-mâché—literally
chewed paper in French—had its origins
in China and made its way to Europe on the Silk Road. During the second century
AD, Chinese artisans developed the skill of using rags, fishing nets, and other
textile wastes products to develop paper, replacing papyrus. During the war between
Persia and China in the eighth century, Chinese prisoners were taken to
Samarkand, a major city on the Silk Road in present day Tajikistan which was
under the domination of the Persians. There the prisoners taught the
Indo-Europeans the art of papier-mâché, which was used to make all sorts of
paper products.
These goods made their way on the Silk Road through Damask,
Morocco, and into Europe through Venice, Italy—the normal route of arts, silks,
and spices. By the second half of the sixteenth century, French craftsmen were
enamored by the form and saw the potential for making all sorts of small objects,
especially for royal use. Of course, craftsmen in the German states, Great
Britain, Spain, and Russia quickly followed the French lead. For example, snuffboxes
became popular at the time, and it is said that Frederick the Great had one papier-mâché
box in each room of his palace.

pearl-inlaid papier-mache buttons

In the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries, use of papier-mâché was the fashion in England and the
interest in the products expanded. In 1825 Jennens and Bettridge of Birmingham
took out a patent for a process of inlaying pearl on papier-mâché. Thin pieces
of shell were cut into design or irregular shapes and held in place with a
varnish. The entire surface was then covered with black japan. Victorians liked buttons, small
furniture, needlework items, and small boxes of papier-mâché, and these are
highly collectible even today.

painted papier-mache button

Japanning is a process
developed in England, Holland, and France about 1800 as a substitute for expensive
Oriental lacquering. The finish was a high grade varnish—each coat being dried
by heat before the next layer was added; this was repeated five or six times as
the finishing coat on papier-mâché pieces. After the lacquer dried, it was
polished down so the shell showed. Painted designs could be added. Later papier-mâché
used no shell with the entire designs done with paint.

In 1851 a patent was taken
out in England for a button board of papier-mâché, which included an
indentation for the wire shank.
The whole button was covered with black japan, and the loop shank was
pressed into the indentation while the japan was warm. Few papier-mâché buttons
had holes. Many of the buttons displayed Oriental scenes since the art form was
associated with Asia and were imitations of the original Chinese lacquer works.
These buttons were a very popular product of Birmingham and France from 1840 to
1860, and soon continued to be made there through the end of the nineteenth
century.

papier-mache buttons with mid-Eastern designs

Russian papier-mache button

As was often the case, the products associated with the Silk
Road made their way to India over the centuries. In the early twentieth
century, papier-mâché buttons were made in India for export to Europe with
definite mid-Eastern designs and motives. In the late twentieth century,
artists from Russia made buttons, often to order, for American collectors and
retailers.

Papier-mâché items, including beads, buttons, snuff
boxes, sewing items, and small furniture is highly collectible and preserves
the artistry of this art form.

About the authors:

Paige Warfield Garber was born in 1951 in
Washington, DC, the youngest of four daughters, all of whom do some fiber arts
for fun. She became an embroiderer
as a child and a life lover of beads, buttons, and fiber arts. Paige always loved looking as her
grandmother’s button jars and started collecting buttons with a gift of a small
collection from her mother. A
member of the Black-eyed Susan Button Club in Maryland, Paige is currently a
felter and Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery member at the Torpedo Factory in
Alexandria, VA.